


Orchestration

by pollitt



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: casa_mcshep, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-06-05
Updated: 2009-06-05
Packaged: 2017-10-05 15:04:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pollitt/pseuds/pollitt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Rodney never sees it coming. And that can be a good thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Orchestration

At first Rodney wondered if, somehow, some of Lucius Lavin's potion had magically re-appeared, or self-replicated, anything, because his friends were acting, well...

"I do not believe I ever thanked you for the periodic table crib liner and the [why cry baby analyzer](http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/newborn-infant/bea5/)." Teyla said, her eyes soft and her hand warm on his arm.

Before Rodney could utter a "You're welcome," Teyla wrapped her arms around Rodney's shoulders and pulled him into a warm, soft, sweet-smelling hug.

"Rodney, buddy, ready for a little sparring?" Ronon asked, appearing from around the corner. Teyla's arms were still tight around him when Ronon slapped Rodney on his back.

Okay, maybe it wasn't Lucius's potion, maybe. . . dear *God* what was Keller keeping from him. What did everyone know but him?

Teyla released him slowly, her eyes were positively sparkling--if it was something dire, if Keller was keeping something from him that was, well, *fatal* and Teyla knew, she, Teyla, wouldn't look like *that.* She'd at least look sad, he knew she would.

"McKay? You coming?" Ronon asked, waiting a little way down the hall.

"Have fun, Rodney, and thank you again." Teyla squeezed Rodney's arm and headed back toward her room.

Rodney caught up with Ronon, who was spinning a banto stick like a baton.

"So maybe after practice, I was thinking we could hang out in the labs and you can explain more about that equation you've been talking about for the last week. We could even do that first if you'd like." Ronon landed a feather-soft blow to Rodney's chest. "I'd be down with that."

If Tex Avery's vision of life were a reality, there would have been alarms--blaring, nuclear-bomb-about-to-explode-level alarms--going off in Rodney's head.

"I, um, what?" Rodney asked, trying to keep from looking completely freaked out while he gathered intel. Was this a hallucination? Dream? Did something get released into the air? He wasn't prone to... hadn't had any hallucinations (not lately at least) so brain tumors and super powers were out of the equation...

"I said we could skip the sparring and do some mental exercising if you'd prefer." Ronon stopped and raised an eyebrow. Just one. Rodney could feel the hair on the back of his neck start to prickle

"Can I take a raincheck?" Rodney asked, moving ever so slightly backward.

"Sure, McKay. Just let me know--" Ronon yelled as Rodney didn't quite run, but quickly walked toward his quarters.

Rodney wasn't sure what he was going to find behind the doors of his quarters, but he didn't stop, he just kept moving. As soon as his door slid open he walked inside...

And into an empty room.

_Huh._ That was... Not what he was expecting.

The radio buzzed once and Rodney knew his voice sounded a little off when he spoke. "John?"

"Hmmm?" Came a very familiar non-committal reply.

"Where are you?"

"Why?"

"I thought you were going to be in my quarters."

"Why?" Came a slightly drawn out reply.

"Because Ronon and Teyla were acting weird." Rodney sat on his bed, looking around at the pile of clothes--his and John's--that hadn't yet made it into the hamper (or what went for a hamper in Atlantis).

"And that would mean I was in your quarters why exactly?"

"Because they knew I'd freak out and go to my room, and you'd know that too and would be ..."

When he put it that way, it really *didn't* make a lot of sense, and he'd be damned if he was going to finish that sentence on the comm.

"I'd be what?" John said, and Rodney could *hear* the smirk in his voice.

"Nothing, nevermind. And you didn't answer my question, where are you?"

"Are you telling me you need me to come to your room, McKay?"

As Rodney was formulating his biting retort, his door slid open.

"Jerk." Rodney said with zero conviction.

It wasn't everyday your boyfriend stood in your doorway clad in his civvies wearing a wicked smile and holding two RC cars in his hands.

"What gave me away?" John asked, stepping out of the door frame and into Rodney's room.

"Well, for one, Ronon told me we could skip sparring for 'mental exercising.' But it was the eyebrow that gave it away." Rodney stood and aimed his sharpest look in John's swaggering direction.

"He's not gonna win any Oscars, that's for sure." John set the cars on Rodney's desk. He leaned back against the desk and grinned. "But my devious plan. It worked."

"Oh yes, with your rakish good looks, that just calls for devious planning." There may've been an eyeroll accompanied with the reply.

"What was the plan again, by the way?" Rodney asked when John was still a couple of steps away.

Only John Sheppard could shrug with his shoulders, eyebrows *and* his hair, and look both devious and innocent at the same time.

"I thought we could hang out a little." John pushed off from the desk.

A couple of steps later. "Make out a little."

And another. "Stuff like that."

"And suggesting that would've been too easy why?" John was in his personal space now and Rodney could easily reach out and hook his fingers in the front pockets of John's jeans.

"I had to make myself the best option for spending your down time with."

There was... wow, *so* much that Rodney could say for that, starting with 'Let's see, everyone *not* my boyfriend vs hot boyfriend and first base... yeah, there was really a choice there,' but there was strange Sheppardian logic there--not quite Shroedinger's cat, but close--and the end result was the same.

"Plus, you know, it's fun to mess with you." John grinned, loosely covering Rodney's hands with his own.

"Somehow, I feel that was more a compelling factor for our friends than making you numero uno on my 'people to hang out with' list."

"Probably."

"But be that as it may, and whatever their motivations, can we get to some of those things you mentioned?"

"Happy to." John's hands cupped Rodney's face and _oh yes_, this was exactly what Rodney needed.

John must've skipped shaving, Rodney realized, feeling the prickle of stubble against his bottom lip and chin as they kissed. There were a lot of things he loved about being with John--in some of the darker hours he's had at Atlantis, and there've been more than a few, he's compiled a detailed list of those favorite thing--making out with a scruffy John Sheppard ranks high on that list. Something he's mentioned to John in the past. Which means either John honestly forgot to shave, or he had been plotting for this eventuality all day.

Given the overwhelming evidence, Rodney felt safe in concluding that too was all part of John's plan.

"Why'd we ever leave the room this morning?" Rodney tugged on John's belt loops.

"I have no idea." John nipped at Rodney's bottom lip. "But since I was the one with the elaborate plot to get you _back_ into your room and alone, I'm thinking it was all your fault."

"You have a point. Next time I do that, stop me."

"Mmmm, that might be fun."

And Rodney had no doubt that it would be. And to be honest, the day had been pretty fun as well--once he realized there wasn't some biological threat that was altering his teammates personalities, but rather the clever orchestrations of his insane boyfriend and their friends. And if that wasn't love, he didn't know what was.

John tugged at the hem of Rodney's t-shirt, and as it was pulled over his head, Rodney decided it was time to show John he had a few fun plans of his own.


End file.
